Grace Ottawa

Not well stocked since new ownership. If you do not speak French, be prepared to be chastised, lectured and have your own accent criticized. After years of getting a few specialty items there, I don’t need to patronize this place anymore and would go elsewhere where the experience is pleasant. The new owner ought to recognize that Canada has 2 official languages and that as a businessman, he should learn English as well!

They have cheap hot sauce so automatic ⁴⁄₅.
I don’t eat any of the other foods sold in there though.

Walking around on Bank Street and too lazy to head over to Chinatown, I stopped by Grace Ottawa for some Asian groceries.
I browsed around for a little while and took my time, unlike the last time I came in when I was sort of in a rush. They have an isle for spices, fresh herbs, and produce, one for West Indian and African groceries, one for Asian groceries, and another for dried fish and refrigerated products. They also have a section in the back for rice, and even an upstairs for beauty products, which I didn’t even see until I saw someone walking up the stairs. There were quite a few people shopping around, of many different ethnic backgrounds no less, which was really great because this store really caters to a fairly wide range of customers. I even found some Filipino sauces, foods, and snacks that are a little harder to find, even in the Toronto area. I was definitely pleasantly surprised.
I ended up buying a box of Skyflakes, a bag of baby bokchoy, three small packs of different instant noodles, a large bag of green tea with roasted rice, one large can of coconut juice, and two small cans of Gina juices. I wasn’t too worried about the prices since the convenience factor was there, but when the cute little lady at the cash rang up my items, I was both surprised and relieved that all of that only cost me $ 18. It was much cheaper than I had originally thought, and they had much better deals than I had expected.

This store is generally well-​stocked with non-​perishable ethnic food staples (Asian/​Caribbean/​Indian) but the produce section is lacking a whole lot. Given that there are several spots nearby that sell fresh produce, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem fo rmost shoppers. They make up for it with a huge selection of cosmetics and hair care products on the second floor. It’s got kind of a run-​down, stinky feel to it… but in my opinion that just adds to the ambiance! They claim that they were voted «Best Jamaican Patties in Ottawa», but they never say who gave them that title, and when they got it. cause it seems to magically be renewed every year. Gotta love it.